Zelia Chueke dedicates her career - as pianist, researcher and scholar, with publications in Europe and Brazil - mostly to 20th and 21st piano music performance and the relationship between tradition and modernity. Pianists Homero Magalhães in Rio, Hans Graf in Vienna Grant Johannesen in New York and J.B. Floyd in Miami were her mentors. She also received advice from Werner Genuit (Karlsruhe), Sergiu Celibidache (Cluny) and Leonid Brumberg (Vienna). Performing since the age of 8 in prestigious halls in three continents as recitalist, soloist with orchestras and chamber musician, she recorded 2 CDs (Brahms/Debussy by Miami Tape and Brazilian Piano 1972-2007 by ABM).

After her debut in Vienna (Bechstein Saal,1987), Zelia Chueke was invited by the Institute Français de Vienne to perform a recital fully dedicated to Debussy and Brazilian composers (Salon Rouge du Palais Calm Gallas,1989). This recital launched similar performances in prestigious concert venues in Rio de Janeiro (Salão Dourado – Forum-UFRJ, 1991), São Paulo (MASP- Museum of Modern Arts, 1992), New York (New York Public Library Concert series - Donnell Library Auditorium, 1997 & Bruno Walter Auditorium at Lincoln Center, 2010), Miami (Gusman Concert Hall, 1997), Paris (Mairie du 3ème, Salle de Marriage 2000). She made her debut in Washington at the Brazil-America Institute (1997).

Due to her collaboration with the International Chamber Orchestra, Zélia Chueke presented concerts exploring the piano in different roles. The same program would include works for piano solo, piano and orchestra or as member of the orchestra and chamber music for various instrumentations.

Her unique project Sports et Divertissements with works by Erik Satie and commissioned works by composers of different nationalities, was premiered in 1997 in Steinway Hall New York and performed in prestigious venues and events such as LeFrak Concert Hall, NY and Festival Miami. In this project, she made the US premier of Satie's cabaret songs which had just been published by Editions Salabert. In 2002 she performed Beethoven Piano Concerto n.4 with the Alhambra Orchestra, under the conducting of Isaac Chueke celebrating the day of the European Community on May 9th and La Fête de la Musique on June 16th at the Lincoln Theater, under the sponsor of the French Consulate in Miami which, acknowledging her commitment to French Culture, invited her to move to France with her husband, maestro Isaac Chueke, bestowed in the same year Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.

“Nach mehrmaligen Anhören bin ich sicher, dass Frau Marques (Chueke), dank ihrer subtilen musikalität und iher überzeugenden Persönlichkeit ihren Weg aus Pianistin machen wird. Auf diesem Weg begleiten sie alle meine besten wünschen”. Hans Graf, Professor and der Hochschule für Musik in Wien.

“Zelia Chueke is a gifted pianist on several levels; technically, musically and intellectually...a pleasure to work with...a most interesting musician”. Grant Johannesen, pianist - New York.

“I have listened to a recording of her rendition of the Brahms Opus 116 piano pieces, which I found to be technically brilliant and stylistically exquisite”. L. Michael Griffel, Professor, Juilliard School, New York.

“Brava...congratulations on an outstanding achievement...unusually gifted musician...brings extraordinary talent to the concert platform as well as probing mind and a genuine love of music”. Arbie Orenstein, world specialist of Ravel – Professor, Aaron Copland School of Music, CUNY.

She carries a BA in Piano Performance from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, a MM in Piano Performance from The Mannes College of Music NY and a DMA in Piano Performance from the University of Miami and an HDR (Habilitation à diriger des recherches) from Sorbonne Unniversité. She occupied a post-doctoral position at Université Paris-Sorbonne (2003-2005), where she has acted since 2005 as permanent researcher, being elected, Membre Associé with the IReMus (Institut de recherche en musicologie/Paris-Sorbonne, CNRS, BnF, MCC, where she is active since 2014 as Head of the Groupe de recherche de musique brésiliennes (GRMB), founded in 2005 and of the project International Exchanges on Music Theory and Performance (IEMTP) founded in 2010, having established partnerships with numerous universities from all over the world, promoting study days which are video recorded, available at the project’s site: www.iemtp.ufpr.br.

Former Teaching Assistant at University of Miami and Adjunct Faculty at New World School of the Arts, University of Florida she is currently Full Professor with the Department of Music and Visual Arts at the Federal University of Paraná, Head of the research group on 20th and 21st century music (UFPR/CNPq). Dr. Chueke is Guest Associate Editor with Frontiers of Psychology/Performance Science, focusing her research in effective self-monitoring of ergonomics in piano performance.